Ipswich Town striker George Hirst feels FA Cup win at Coventry City can be catalyst for better league form
Ipswich Town striker George Hirst believes that the Blues can take confidence into their league campaign as Kieran McKenna’s side ended a four-game losing run with an impressive 4-1 FA Cup victory over Coventry City at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Hirst struck the opener from the penalty spot as Town booked their place in the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 2007 on an afternoon where the Blues looked cohesive despite making 11 changes from their previous Premier League outing.
Jack Clarke scored an impressive brace while Jaden Philogene netted his first goal for the club as the Championship hosts were confidently brushed aside in the West Midlands.
Hirst felt as if the quick start, which saw him strike from 12 yards inside the opening two minutes, was vital and also confirmed there was no hesitation in his decision to step up once referee Ben Toner had pointed to the spot.
“A tough place to come,” he said.“They’ve been on a really good run of form at the minute and we knew that coming into the game that we had to start well, and that’s exactly what we did.
“It was a case of coming out here, putting on a good performance and ultimately getting through to the next round.
“My name is up on the sheet in the changing room so there was nobody else taking that one other than me.
“It was big, obviously you want to score as soon as possible in every single game. To then concede five minutes later is not ideal but I think we showed great character and great response to that and ultimately deserved to be 3-1 up at half-time.
“It’s definitely one of those things where it can be not going your way in the league and almost be a bit of a break and a bit of a reset button. Today we used it as an opportunity to get boys minutes and go and win the game but also to work on a few things.
“We’ve had a lot of new players and it’s another opportunity to go out there and better the relationships on and off the pitch. The cup can definitely be that for us, it can definitely be a catalyst and another chance to improve and hopefully we can take that into the league games.”
Despite the entire starting XI being changed, which included a debut for deadline day signing Alex Palmer in goal, Hirst felt as though the relationships on the pitch have been built alongside those off it.
“We always have had that,” the 25-year-old said. “We’re a very close-knit squad off the pitch and that can translate. You don’t always need to have played 100 games with each other to build those relationships.
“You can see the boys outside of training when we go for a coffee and just through talking you can let each other know how you want to play, what kind of ball you like into feet, whether you want it in behind and that sort of stuff. We went out there today and put on a really good show.
“Winning is winning at the end of the day, whether that’s in the cup, a friendly or an in-house game, all the boys want to win games and that just breeds success.
“To go out there and get the win today was the most important thing but also in the first half with the way we played is something we can be pretty proud of.
“I feel like I could have played a bit longer today but ultimately it’s about freshness and I haven’t played in a little while. 80 minutes today was really nice to get under my belt and that sets me up nicely to be able to play as many minutes as required going forward.”
Clarke had his standout performance in a Blues shirt with two goals and an assist, while Philogene was singled out for his own display in which he struck his maiden Town goal on his 23rd birthday.
On Clarke, Hirst said: “Without a doubt, I was delighted for him. He works as hard as anybody and we all know his qualities. Everyone at Ipswich saw his qualities last season and people around the country know his qualities, it’s just taken him a little bit of time and that happens.
“Today he was excellent in possession and out of possession, every little bit of it was incredible. To come off with two goals and an assist is a credit to the work he puts in.
“[Jaden is] very good. On the ball he’s very tricky, got skill, got pace to get away from somebody. I’ve been on at him about the pressing side of it but he’s showed today that he can do that and when you do that you get your goals and rewards.
“He’ll definitely want to be doing more of that going forward, playing more minutes and showing that he can do what the gaffer wants and hopefully scoring more goals.
“I don’t know whether that comes naturally to him or not, from what I’ve seen it looks pretty natural because he’s pretty good at it. I think the gaffer, whether you’re the worst presser in the team or the best presser, is going to be asking you to press stronger, harder and quicker and that just comes with the way we play.
“He’s done an excellent job so far of adapting to the way we play and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better.
“We added quality, we needed it and wanted it. I don’t think you can have too much quality in a squad and we’ve got an abundance of that now all across the pitch from the goalkeeper right through to the centre forward.
“It’s just about the boys training well day in, day out and ultimately the gaffer will pick the 11 for Saturday that he believes is going to win a game.”
With Town now into the last 16 of the world famous competition, there is perhaps a growing belief that a cup run could give the group a much-needed lift ahead of an important ending to the Premier League season.
Hirst agreed, highlighting that the opportunity to get minutes into the legs of some of the players who are not regular starters is another of the main positives of staying in the FA Cup.
“It’s one game at a time, it’s the old cliché,” he said. “We don’t know who we’re going to get in the next round just yet but why not? It’s a chance for the boys who haven’t been playing as much to go out there and showcase their abilities and if that’s in the cup or the league, we just want to win games.
“This is a little bit different, if we win a game we’re through to the next round and we’re a couple of games from Wembley now. It’s not something we’re focusing on just yet because we know there’s plenty more games to go before we get there, but it’s a nice thought to have in the back of our mind.
“That was the message from the gaffer before the game, everyone who played today and hasn’t had as many minutes like myself for one reason or another, it’s a chance to go out there and showcase why you should be playing in the Premier League on a Saturday. All the boys were a credit to themselves, we got the job done and through to the next round.”
One of the negatives from the Blues success at Coventry was the withdrawal of Sammie Szmodics through injury, with the forward only returning to the side from an ankle problem that kept him out for more than a month.
Hirst said: “I’ve been there myself and it’s a horrible feeling, touch wood it’s not the worst injury in the world and he’ll be back out there in no time.
“He’s a big boy, he’ll get on with it, he’s great to have around the place so I’m sure he’ll be doing everything possible to get back out there as soon as possible.”
Hirst has struggled for minutes in the league predominantly due to the form of star striker Liam Delap, who has found the net nine times in the Premier League so far this season.
“Liam’s been top, he’s been brilliant to be fair to him,” Hirst said of the Blues’ top scorer. “It’s hard to displace someone who is playing well.
“I’ve been on the other side of that in the last couple of seasons where I’ve felt like I’ve been playing well and I’m the one who is playing. I’m sure there’s been people in my position who have felt like they should be playing as well.
“It’s up to me to keep working hard, getting chances like today, going out there and help the team as best as I can. To come up with another goal and an assist is really nice, it’s just about keeping working hard and seeing where we end up.
“We get on really well off the pitch, but at the same time we both want to be playing on a Saturday. It was my turn today and I’d like to think I did a pretty decent job.
“He’s a hell of a boy – he’s a big lad, he’s strong, he’s quick much like myself. We work pretty well off each other, there’s only one shirt than can play on a Saturday and it’s up to us to try and get that shirt.”
It was widely reported that Town wanted to strengthen their striker department in the January transfer window though nothing materialised, leaving only Hirst to compete with Delap after Ali Al-Hamadi departed on loan to Stoke City.
Asked about the failed striker search, Hirst said: “It’s got nothing to do with me. I’m just going to go out there and try and be the best version of myself, I have the utmost belief in myself that I don’t care who you bring in, I’m going to try and make sure I’m getting picked ahead of them.
“Whether that be Liam or someone else, obviously it didn’t end up being anybody else but I don’t pay too much attention to that stuff, that’s for the club and the gaffer to talk about. For me it’s about getting my head down and putting myself in a position where there aren’t too many options out there that are better than a fully fit George Hirst and Liam.
“I’ve put myself in that position for the gaffer to say something like that, it’s about me working hard and showing that we don’t need anybody else.”
Hirst often speaks to his dad David after matches, with Hirst senior once known for scoring in an FA Cup final for Sheffield Wednesday, a game they ultimately lost out to Arsenal.
“He doesn’t stop reminding me of it,” he joked.“That would be nice to go and score in a cup final, but we’ve got to get there first. If we do then I’m sure that will be the first topic of conversation from my old man.
“If I listen to everything he said I’d get sent off every week, times have changed a little bit since he played but to have that on your doorstep is always nice. I’ll speak to him after most games when I’ve played, he’ll see things that I didn’t see and vice versa.
“It’s nice to have somewhere there who I know is going to be honest with his opinion on how I played. Ultimately if he tells me I’ve done alright then I know I’ve had a really good game.”
Town return to league action next weekend when they travel to Aston Villa, with Hirst hoping the Blues can take the momentum from victory in Coventry into the trip to Villa Park.
He concluded: “We don’t buy into all that negative stuff. You can say we’ve lost however many games in a row but ultimately there’s positives we can take out of every single performance. There’s definitely a lot of positives today and that’s what we focus on – the positives are going to win us games and not the negatives.
“The negatives need work and that’s what we look at as well, but for us going forward it’s about taking little bits from each game that we play whether we win, lose or draw and ultimately week in, week out we’re going to get better and better. If we keep doing that it’s going to translate into results.”
